Articles by Thea Garon
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Friday
January 30
2015A Better Way to Get Paid? : Defining quality for ‘payroll cards’
For low-income employees who lack access to bank accounts, payday often comes in the form of cash or a paper check. But cash can easily be lost or stolen, and checks often require a costly or time-consuming visit to a check casher. Reloadable, prepaid "payroll cards" are a much better alternative, says Thea Garon at the Center for Financial Services Innovation, in describing CFSI’s new Compass Guide to Payroll Cards.
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- digital payments
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Guest Articles
Thursday
July 31
2014Seven Strategies to Attract 40+ Million New Customers: How U.S. banks can serve immigrants today and tomorrow
The surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S. border has put the immigration debate back in the headlines. But CFSI’s Thea Garon argues that the more important issue is whether the millions of immigrants who already live in the U.S. have what they need to succeed. She lays out new research from CFSI on how financial service providers can serve immigrants - both now and if comprehensive immigration reform is passed.
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- Investing
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Friday
November 22
2013How Small Savings Can Replace Small Borrowing: A well-designed savings product can help low-income consumers avoid costly short-term credit
Everyone is taught that it’s good to save money for a rainy day. Yet low-income people often struggle to save, leading them to turn to more expensive options like high-interest payday loans. But recent research from Doorways to Dreams shows that a well-designed savings product can dramatically help these consumers reduce their reliance on costly short-term credit.
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